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CALL FOR TUTORIALS

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EASSS 2020

22nd European Agent Systems Summer School

http://www.fe.up.pt/easss2020

July 20-24, 2020

Porto — Portugal

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A tutorial proposal should take the form of a 2-page PDF document (see details below).

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Important dates

Tutorial proposal deadline: February 1, 2020

Notification of tutorial acceptance: March 1, 2020

Early application deadline (for participants): May 15, 2020

Teaching materials available for the organization: July 1, 2020

Late application deadline (for participants): July 1, 2020

EASSS 2020: July 20-24, 2020

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About EASSS 2020

The 22nd European Agent Systems Summer School (EASSS 2020) will be organized by the Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science Lab of the University of Porto (LIACC), and held at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal, on July 20-24, 2020. EASSS 2020 is organized under the auspices of the European Association for Multi-Agent Systems (EURAMAS) and the Portuguese Association for Artificial Intelligence (APPIA), as an Advanced School on Artificial Intelligence.

The main goal of EASSS is to provide an exchange of knowledge among individuals and groups interested in various aspects of autonomous, agent-based and multi-agent systems research and practice. This dissemination is provided by formal state-of-the-art courses conducted by leading experts in the field and by informal meetings during the event. The school attracts both beginner and experienced researchers, encouraging cooperation between representatives of many branches of the Multi-Agent Systems research community.

The topics tackled within the field are becoming increasingly important due to the ubiquity of autonomous and distributed systems, such as the Internet of Things, intelligent buildings and smart cities, autonomous robots, agent-driven financial markets, etc. These kinds of applications demand innovative approaches in a number of research fields, including multi-agent systems engineering, coordination and cooperation, human-agent interaction, reasoning and planning, machine learning, game theory, modeling and simulation, and robotics. EASSS 2020 will be a privileged forum to learn the current trends in most of these fields, from both theoretical and practical perspectives. The courses will be taught by leading researchers in the field, and are aimed at Ph.D. students, advanced M.Sc. students, and other young researchers.

Since the initial edition of 1999 (Utrecht, Netherlands) the school has been held annually in different European locations. The previous edition took place in Maastricht, The Netherlands. The school usually attracts circa 50 students every year. A typical course is 4 hours long and provides a general introduction to the selected topic followed by an in-depth exposition of recent and relevant contributions.

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School format

EASSS will be composed of tutorial sessions, aiming at including both lectures and practical labs. We expect that at least some of the tutorials will be run as parallel sessions. In addition, EASSS will promote informal networking periods, where tutors and attendees (mostly early-stage researchers on agents and multi-agent systems) can exchange ideas. A social event will take place in the city of Porto.

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Call-for-Tutorials

We invite proposals from members of the research community who are willing to offer tutorials at EASSS 2020. We are interested in tutorial proposals in all areas of current research in Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. As a very rough guideline, any topic that might be covered at the AAMAS conference or in the JAAMAS journal would be suitable for EASSS.

We aim for a mix of tutorials on fundamental and well-established topics, as well as overviews of new and emerging areas of research. Tutorials should cover an appropriate selection of approaches and not mainly focus on the tutors’ own contributions. Besides providing a coherent overview of a specific research topic, we specifically encourage tutorial proposals to articulate a clear link to applications and pragmatic consideration of the fundamental topics presented. Tutorials that cover, in whole or in part, specific technological tools in the form of a hands-on session (e.g. for development of multi-agent systems, simulation of agent-based systems, or reinforcement learning), are also very welcome.

We encourage both well-established senior researchers and younger colleagues to submit proposals. Each tutorial is usually given by one or two people. Exceptions are of course possible; for proposals by more than two tutors, please justify this choice in the proposal and explain how you intend to ensure the coherence of the tutorial.

To support the tutors, we can commit to the provision of up to €500 per tutorial, to cover the tutorial team travel and accommodation costs.

Submission guidelines

A tutorial proposal should take the form of a 2-page PDF document covering the following points (preferably in this order):

1. Title of the proposed tutorial.

2. Tutor(s): name, affiliation, contact details (email), and a link to the personal homepage of each tutor.

3. Abstract: a short paragraph describing the tutorial (100-300 words), suitable for publication at the EASSS 2020 website.

4. Short biographical sketch for each tutor (around 100 words per tutor), suitable for publication at the EASSS 2020 website.

5. Experience of the tutor(s): any details on the relevant teaching experience of the tutor(s).

6. Syllabus: a detailed list of topics covered in the tutorial, preferably in the order in which the tutorial will cover them.

7. Type: a clear indication of whether the tutorial takes a theoretical or applications-oriented perspective on the topics covered. We encourage tutorial proposals that balance the two perspectives.

8. Prerequisites: the target audience or prior knowledge the attendants are assumed to have.

9. Teaching materials: the kind of teaching materials you intend to provide. These will be needed by the organization on the date stated below.

10. Duration: typically around 3,5h (half-day). Please explain if you need more time (e.g. for having a hands-on practical session).

11. Equipment: any special equipment (beyond a beamer and a whiteboard) that you might need.

The proposals should be submitted to EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=easss2020

Any inquiries should be sent to easss2020@fe.up.pt

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EASSS 2020 Committees

Scientific Committee

Ana Paiva, Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal

Ann Nowé, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Carles Sierra, IIIA, Spain

Mario Paolucci, ISTC-CNR, Italy

Organizing Committee

Henrique Lopes Cardoso, LIACC / Universidade do Porto, Portugal

Luís Paulo Reis, LIACC / Universidade do Porto, Portugal

Thiago Reis, LIACC / Universidade do Porto, Portugal

Candidaturas: de 15-11-2019 a 28-11-2019.